


Stuck inbetween

by Makedon



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Love Confessions, M/M, Trapped In Elevator, Worried Oliver Queen, conflict getting resolved, slightly hurt Barry Allen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:01:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24170035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Makedon/pseuds/Makedon
Summary: After a almost failed Mission with Oliver, Barry just wants to get home, but the elevator has other plans. What happens when they're stuck for hours on end?
Relationships: Barry Allen/Oliver Queen
Comments: 2
Kudos: 206
Collections: Arrowverse Under Quarantine





	Stuck inbetween

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Calieus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calieus/gifts).



> Written for the Arrowverse Quarantine exchange, with Olivarry, and the Stuck in a room/closet prompt. An elevator counts as a room right? Also, i am very sorry this is so late, i severely overestimated my ability to actually finish on time, but i hope you will still like it! Thanks to Batty for reading it over

“What the hell, Barry?” Oliver threw his bow and arrow carelessly on a chair, pacing through the bunker without even looking at Barry limping in, both still fully suited up. His expression was one of anger, his intense eyes finally focussing on the sheepish speedster who managed to drag himself to the chair, cautiously removing the equipment on it before plopping down. 

Barry on the other hand didn’t even bother looking back, already tired of the argument that was sure to come. “You have to be a bit more specific for what you’re mad about this time, Oliver.” In the last couple of weeks, this became a common occurrence: Oliver seemed to find fault anytime Barry tried to help him in any way, criticizing his methods or his plans. Barry had no idea why this had started, since it’s not like he had changed, and Oliver used to at least only tell him off if he did a major fuck up (which granted, was not an extremely rare concurrence). Barry honestly couldn’t stand it, which is why this is the first time he had even seen Oliver in more than a week. 

Oliver gave a pointed look towards his outstretched leg, not even bothering to answer. And he didn’t need to, it was pretty clear that this was about Barry somehow not realizing that the villain had been prepared for him, setting up high tech tripwires all over the place, which led to the Flash having a rather inelegant crash into a wall, knocking him out. When he came to himself, the fight was already over, Oliver having dealt with everything easily. Now, after an awkward bikeride, here they were.

Oliver was now angrily undressing to get changed, Barry having to force himself not to stare…. too much. Still, he wasted no time, wanting to say exactly what he was thinking: “How many times have I told you that you have to case a location before just running in? “  
Barry had the decency to look ashamed, since this was honestly a very valid criticism. But right now he was really not in the mood to get lectured once again, so he just kept quiet. 

Oliver looked back to him, expecting some kind of comeback, but seeing Barry sulk there, he sighed, and just finished changing himself into normal clothes. He looked at Barry still in his costume, raising an eyebrow “Need some help?” and although it was just a genuine question, for Barry it still seemed condescending. Barry, still having some pride, managed to speed change in the span of a second, although that only made the pain in his ankle worse.

Oliver rolled his eyes, and reached out with his hand, his face neutral. “Cmon, let's go to my apartment until you are healed, then you can run back home.” Barry reluctantly took the hand, knowing that Oliver was right, and let himself be helped up, most of his weight now on Oliver's strong back. He tried to ignore how good that felt, Oliver’s warmth so close to him, he was still annoyed with him after all. 

After making sure he had Barry secure at his side, he supported him the short walk to the elevator, both of them avoiding eye contact while waiting for it to arrive. The since was almost palpable, Barry was feeling uncomfortable but also couldn’t think of anything to say to maybe lighten the mood. With a loud ding, the elevator finally arrived, Oliver making sure Barry was leaning securely against the metal wall before pressing the button, the door sliding shut without a sound. Barry was about to say something, he himself was not even sure what, but before he could even make a sound,all hell broke loose.

Out of nowhere there was a loud, booming noise somewhere above them, and a split second later the elevator came to a screeching halt with the lights shorting out, leaving them in darkness, now an oppressive silence in the air, all the normal background noises of machines and the likes gone. Barry was in shock, his mind going back into combat mode for a moment, before realizing nothing was happening. Then, he could hear soft cursing from across of him, coming from Oliver.

“Goddammit…” Oliver was already done with today before this happened, so he was understandably pissed. But him being angry wasn’t going to solve anything, so he calmed himself down, before turning to where he knows Barry should still be, whispering.

“Barry, you alright there?” The concern was clear in his voice, Barry not even needing to see his face to know that. He took stock, but other than the pain still radiating in his leg nothing seemed wrong. 

“Yeah, i'm alright, are you? What even was that? Sounded like some kind of explosion above ground…” Barry was already thinking about what that could possibly be, maybe some sort of contingency plan of the guy they just fought. But that guy was such a small deal, Barry already forgot his name, so it seemed unlikely. He got ripped out of his search for an explanation by Oliver’s calm voice.

“I’m fine. No matter what that was, it should not have been able to cut off power to this elevator, I made sure of that.” After all, the whole bunker was fully of the grid, with it's own private power supply, hidden underneath the bunker. “Unless…” Oliver searched through his pockets finding the rectangular shape of his phone easily enough. To his surprise, it lit up without a problem. He frowned at the bright screen, having expected it to be as dead as the elevator. “So not an EMP then…”

That’s where Barry piped up “Actually, modern shouldn't get affected by EMPs, as long as they're not hooked up to anything.” Oliver just stared at him, the pale light from his phone illuminating his features, and Barry felt self conscious all of a sudden. “I read that in a new issue of one of my science journals, alright. But you’re right, that had to have been an EMP. Do you think it was targeting the bunker?” “

Oliver nodded grimly “Yeah, nothing else in the area that could be a target. But, even with that, it should only take a second for…” 

Before he could finish, a red light filled the cabin with an ominous glow. “...that. Now that the backup systems are online, my team will get an alert. They’ll know what to do.” Still, he checked his phone on the off chance that there was any connection, but he already knew there was no way any radio waves were gonna come through here.

Barry, still leaning against the wall, threw Oliver a questioning look. “So what, we’ll just wait here until someone comes and frees us? Can’t we just climb through the shaft or something like that?” 

“There's no way to get out of this elevator if you’re stuck in it, i made sure of that. One of the countermeasures if the bunker ever gets invaded. And yes, that includes making it speedster proof, so don’t even try.” Oliver, having put away his phone, was now standing on the opposite Wall to Barry, looking at him distractedly.

Barry didn’t know if he should be insulted or flattered by that. “What, are you worried that I would turn evil?”

Oliver raises his eyebrow, looking at Barry like he just said something supremely dumb. “No, of course not. But with how many speedster villains you have, it’s only a matter of time until one of them tries to get to you through me.”

Barry hadn’t even considered that before, but it made a lot of sense, and of course Oliver would be prepared for when it would happen. “Never really thought about that before…”, he mostly mumbled to himself. So, Barry slid down to the floor, and prepared himself to wait a while. He normally would’ve used this time to maybe talk more to his closed off friend, but he was still annoyed and confused by Oliver’s recent behaviour. So instead, he fished his own phone from his pants, looking for something to do. The only thing that even really worked offline was a sudoku app he got months ago and never really used, but now was the perfect time for it. 

Oliver on the other hand kept alert, but after half an hour of nothing happening, Barry already being on his third puzzle, even he relaxed. By throwing a knife up in the air and catching it, over and over, but that was relaxing for him. But Barry could not shake that feeling that Oliver kept staring at him, but every time he looked up from his phone, Oliver was staring into the distance, not even acknowledging him. The silence was getting more oppressive with every minute passing in the metal prison, with no end in sight. 

Finally, after finishing his fifth sudoku, Barry couldn’t take it anymore, and just blurted out the question that has been on his mind for weeks. “Why are you such a dick?” That was really not how he intended to word that, but now it was out, and he was too stubborn to take it back.

Oliver looked understandably confused “What?” Wondering what Barry meant with that, he glanced to his hand still busy with the knife. “If me throwing my knife annoys you that much, I can just stop doing it.”

Barry scrambled up, now being on eyesight with the archer. “No, not that, Ollie. I mean why have you been so critical about everything I do in the last weeks. Have i done something wrong?” Oliver was about to say something, but Barry cut him off, already knowing what he was going to say. “And no, i don’t just mean the tripwire. There’s something else, I know you enough to know that, but honestly I have no idea what. And I think I deserve to know why you apparently can't stand me now!” Barry, having gotten louder with every sentence he was speaking, shut his mouth after that impromptu speech, not even himself having expected that kind of temper from him. Oliver’s treatment of him had gotten to him more than he apparently realized.

Oliver on the other hand just looked slightly shocked, eyes wide, but Barry could swear that he could see some guilt in his face, even in the shitty emergency lighting. It was quiet once again in the cabin, but now the air was charged, Barry feeling like he unleashed something that was a long time coming. 

Oliver had no idea what to say, since he knew deep down that Barry was right, he had been different. And although he subconsciously knew why, he didn’t even really admit it to himself, much less the speedster. While he was thinking on how to handle this, he just kept staring at Barry, who was feeling more and more uncomfortable with the lack of an actual answer, and just when he gave up on finally getting one, Oliver finally spoke, in a quiet tone. 

“Do you remember, 5 weeks ago, when you fought that frost guy, while he was trying to rob the high tech lab downtown?” Barry remembered too well, but he was confused, since Oliver wasn’t even part of that, how did he know about it? Oliver could sense the question even without any words. 

“Cait always keeps me updated if something happens to you, just to be sure.” He wasn’t about to say that he was the one basically demanding that arrangement. “So yes, I know exactly what went down there.” Oliver took a step closer to Barry, and closer, almost crowding him into the corner. 

Barry winced, since that was not his proudest moment. It had already been a busy day when he got a ping about a robbery at that lab, so he just ran in there, not thinking. What he didn’t expect was to be shot by a dart from behind, filled with some experimental freezing concoction. The effect had been instant, it felt like he got hit by Snart’s cold gun, but from the inside, going through his veins. When Cisco had managed to portal him back to STAR labs, it was almost too late, only the fact that Cait really knew how to deal with freezing, saving him from becoming an ice statue. 

In the end, he had been back on his feet at the end of the day, and since then he honestly hasn’t even thought about what happened a lot. If he pondered all the time he had almost died out there, he would have gone crazy a long time ago.

“So what, someone outsmarted me, and I recovered. That just sounds like a normal Tuesday for me, I don't get how that made you start behaving like that.” Barry crossed his arms, not all convinced by Oliver's explanation.

He sighed, thinking on how to best say this without revealing too much. “Barry, you got hit by a blowdart from behind, and it almost killed you, when you should have been easily able to outrun it, or notice the trap before you even slowed down when you arrived. But instead you almost died, and I only heard about it the next day from Cait. So yes, I have been critical of you, but only because i know you can be better than that.” 

Barry was not sure if Oliver was insulting his skills, or complimenting them, but he got the gist of it. And he was not satisfied with the answer at all. “So, all the criticizing and belittling was supposed to make me ‘realize my potential’? Because the only thing it really did was make me want to spend less time with you, which sucks, cause I love being with you.” Barry was too caught up in his emotions to notice that he may have said too much with that last phrase until it was already spoken, but just hoped Oliver wasn’t going to read too much into it.

But of course, Oliver was far too perceptive to miss that, his eyebrow raised at that very particular wording. He was going to file that information away for later. "I told you before, Barry, I'm trying to help you stay alive. Fastest way to make me shut up? Get your head on straight and focus."

It was getting hard for Barry to think clearly, with Oliver still so close to him in the small red lit room. But he was not going to let up the issue just because Oliver was towering over him with that intense, attractive face. “That’s bullshit Ollie, and you know it. I’ve been the Flash for years now and managed to survive just fine. I don’t need you constantly trying to lecture me.”

Oliver looked exasperated, but also for some reason… fond? “Didn’t I just mention that time where you almost died three weeks ago? Because that’s exactly the kinda thing I mean.”

Barry threw his hands in the hair, almost hitting Oliver in the face from how close he was standing. “So what? We all almost die every few months, it's part of the job, why is this different?” 

“Because YOU’RE…” Oliver just left it at that, his face clearly showing that he was trying to think of what to say here. In the end, he just shook his head, and took a step away from Barry, who felt like he was holding his breath for… something. He didn’t know what Oliver was wanting to say there, but somehow felt very important. Now it was his turn to step up, not letting Oliver escape from this conversation. 

“Because I’m what, Oliver? Incompetent? Useless? C’mon, tell me what you really think.” He was staring him down, demanding an answer. Barry knew that Oliver did not think about him that way (he really hoped he did not at least), but it was a good way to make Oliver admit what he actually meant.

Oliver's eyes were wide open, glancing around like a caged animal looking for an escape. But he could not just disappear from this conversation, so he took a deep breath, and just admitted it. “Because you’re you, Barry. And..” Oliver couldn’t look him in the eyes. “ because i can’t stand seeing you get hurt.”

Barry’s face softened, the last bit of annoyance gone from his system. He gently grabbed Oliver by the shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. “Hey, Ollie.” He waited until Oliver looked him right in the eyes again. “You know i always worry about you too right?”

Oliver looked at him with an emotion he could not fully describe, his eyes roaming over Barry's face, when out of nowhere the elevator shifted down for just a couple of inches. While it didn't seem like it was fixed, since the red lighting was still there, it did make Barry trip forwards into Oliver, who easily caught him in his muscular arms. 

Barry’s face was buried in Oliver’s solid chest, able to smell that particular brand of musk only Oliver seemed to have, which Barry secretly loved. Craning his head up, their faces were far closer than he anticipated, only inches between them. Barry made no move to get away, and Oliver just held him securely right where he was. “I got you Barry.” It was just a whisper, but Barry was so close, it felt like Oliver said it right into his ear.

Before Barry could think better of it, he surged forward, and captured Oliver’s mouth in a searing kiss. He could feel as well as hear Oliver’s short sound of surprise, not responding to the kiss itself at first. But before Barry could even think about moving back, Oliver, still holding him securely in his arms, took charge, and flipped them so Barry's back was now against the cold wall. Oliver wasted no time deepening the kiss, his body caging in Barry’s, both of them lost in the feeling of each other. 

So much so, that they both missed when a panel in the ceiling moved, revealing the darkness of the shaft above. A bright light shone into the cabin, searching around until it found them in the corner, still very busy making out. A voice rang out from above, clearly annoyed. “Ugh, I should’ve let Curtis come get you instead, he would love to see this.” They both freeze, recognizing who it was instantly. Barry moved to hide in Oliver’s shoulder, clearly embarrassed, while Oliver himself looked right into the flashlight, giving the stink eye. “Rene, some privacy?” 

Although he couldn't see it, he could feel Rene shrugging. “Alright Boss, but if you have sex in the elevator i refuse to ever use it again.” The light disappeared, loud steps above them making clear that Rene moved away from the opening. Oliver turned his attention back to the speedster in his arms, who slowly moved his head up to look at him again.

Oliver just looked at him with an actual smile. “What do you say Barr, you want to move this to my place?” Barry’s return grin was as big as humanly possible. “Do you even have to ask?”


End file.
